Pale Mare - Theme and Conflict

Pale Mare
The Pale Mare
Theme and Conflict
Quotes that relate to theme.

• Because it is tradition.
• I need your help. Not Rafael who goofs around.
• No, it’s not my expertise in serving food that my precious parents want to preserve. It’s that tradition again.
• As usual, it’s the boys playing outside, with the rare girl running alongside until she can be gathered back into her house.
• Parents, on the dark side…
• “What about Manuel?”…. “He has football practice.” “So what! I’m getting top honors in science! He’s just playing junior varsity football.”…“But he’s the son.” I’m only the girl….
• “We want you to be happy with a nice boy, to have a family.”
• She was saying that with her hands that touched my hair, with her liquid Spanish murmuring, with her eyes that lingered on my face, imploring me to stop struggling in this foolish manner.
• A sob shakes my lungs. I didn’t even know I was crying…..Why didn’t I just go, like my friend Mia suggested? Because I have these stupid ideals, like honesty.
• Life has to be a certain way. Their way.
• Your world isn’t my world. It’s not that I’m trying to pretend my Mexican blood doesn’t course through my veins, it just means that my blood is call to different things.
• Mama, Papa, they just don’t get it. Or maybe they do. Perhaps that scares them.
• I’s play I was a charro and swing astride the nearest fence, imaging I rode the fines horses—
• Farthest from the main arena is the mares’ pen.
• I unlatch the gate…..I shove the gate wide open.
• I close in. With a quiet dignity, she suddenly fold, turns and walks calmly out the open gate…..she is herself again.
• “That’s right”, I say admiringly. “Don’t even look back.”
• I’m beginning to see the path the stars have laid down for me.

*

References to dark and light in the text of The Pale Mare.**

• shiny side
• black
• like a star
• fierce light
• calm in the light
  • banishing me to the dark

• night is clear
• stars
• a dark stain
• breathtaking stars
• orange fog lights
• deep smudges
• no moon tonight
• moonless night
• star light
  • light of those distant fires

• darkness swells
• flash
• night
• cluster of stars
  • night would never fall

• brilliant starlight
  • never would there be night

• flickers
• no night
  • starlit
    • like the tail of a comet

• traveling light
  • fade away into night

• fiery
• darkness
• path the stars
• lighter
• large dark eyes

Darkness	Light

The theme of The Pale Mare is vs. . It shows an _conflict, “Man vs. ” or we should say “Woman vs. _”. This is because the struggle is mainly inside her head. But it is also “Man vs. ” because of the struggle with her _.
Darkness represents .
This is shown by references such as:_
_
. Quotes that show this are _
_

The light represents _.
This is shown by references such as:_ _. Quotes that show this are _
___